Compensating apparatus for well-digging outfits



0. E. OAKES. COMPENSATING APPARATUS FOR WELL meme OUTFITS. APPLICATION FILED JAN-9, 1919. 1,351,867. PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

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APPLICATION FILED n.9, 1919.

1,351,867. PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

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I APPLICATION FILED IAN-9, I919. 1,351,867.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

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A TTOR/VEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER 'E. CAKES, ASBURY, MISSOURI.

COMPEN STING APPARATUS FOR WELL-DIGGING OUTFITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 9, 1519. Serial No. 270,341.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER E. OAKEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Asbury, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Apparatus for Well-Digging Outfits, of whiph the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in well digging outfits, and consists more particularly in providing means in the drill cable for making it resilient to a certain extent, and thus preventing the cable from breaking.

The foremost object of the invention is to enable the use of a single and entire wire drill cable throughout the whole length of the cable line regardless of the depth of the well, by providing a novel compensating or take-up apparatus: for rendering the drill cable sufiiciently resilient to avoid breakage.

-Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a frame with reciprocably mounted spring-held pulleys, to which a wire line is applied and which is so employed in connection with the drilling apparatus,

F ig.' 4 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fi modification in the construction of the compensating apparatus,

Fig. 7 is a plan viewof the mechanism in Fig 6,

ig. 8 is a detail perspective view of. one of the pulley yokes,

ig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating a Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views illustrating various positions of the parts in Fig. l, and

Figs. 11 and 12 are diagrammatic views illustrating various positions of the parts in r 1 2.

Fefore describing the invention, it is thought desirable to explain under what circumstances the compensating apparatus is' wire cable is too short to show any appreciable sign of resiliency and consequently it not infrequently happens that the machine is wrecked. 1t is also necessary that the cable possess a certain amount of spring or resiliency in order that the drills work properly especially in cutting rock.

The above objection is avoided in some measure by interposing a length of Manila rope, usuall about a hundred feet long. This gives t e drill cable the required resiliency, but in turn adds another objection in that the Manila rope sometimes breaks, whereupon the time consuming fishing operation must be resorted to in order to get the drill tool at the bottom of the well.

The compensating apparatus is applicable to any of the well known types of digging outfits, of which representative forms are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and it is therefore thought unnecessary to describe any more of the digging outfit structure than relates directly to the invention. Attention is directed to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

The frame 1 of the compensating apparatus is permanently secured to the cross sills 2 of the machine 3. The frame 1 is substantially rectangular in shape as shown, and in the sides has slots or openings 4 which serve as guides and supports for the bosses 5 of the two movable spring frames 6. r 1

A pulley shaft 7 is journaled in any suitable manner in each of the movable spring frames. A wire line 8 is applied to each Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

wire 'line is thereafter wrapped around tlie pulleys from one frame to the other, finally terminating in the end 11 which is attached to certain parts of the digging mechanism.v

In Fig. 1, the end 11 is attached to the free arm of the bell crank 12. The other arm of the-bell crank carries a movable guide pulley 13 around which one bight of the drill cable 14 passes. In the operation of the drill tool 15, the bell crank 12 rocks, the guide pulley 13 oscillates back and forth and the motion is taken up in the compensating apparatus.

The motion in the compensating apparatus is taken up by the springs shownin Fig. 3. Expansion springs 16 are respectively secured to the end rails of the frame 1 and the adjacent cross pieces of the two movable frames 6. Opposedspring guides 17 on the other sides of the movable frames, support compression springs 18. The expansion springs are normally contracted as shown while the compression springs are normally expanded.

It can now be readily understood that as the drill tool 15 movesup and down in the well bore, the movable sprin frames 6 will approach toward and recede rom each other in accordance with the operation'of the drill tool. The respective springs 16 and 18 ex- I pand and contract as the wire line 8 is put under tension by the upward rocking "of the arm 12.

The movement of the bell crank 12 is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 9 and 10. The drill cable 14 is wound on the rope spool 19, and the various other pulle s to which the drill cable is applied after it leaves the guide pulley 13, are unnecessary to describe in detail. I i

In Fig. 2 the structure of the compensating apparatus is the same but the matter of apphcation is slightly different. The end 11 is attached to the rocking arm 21 which carries the movable guide pulley 13, around which the drill cable 14 asses.

- The arrangement in ig. 2 is preferred when the digging outfit is used in spudding. At this time the walking beam 22 is not used. After the spudding operation is over,

i the walking beam is. used and the drill cable is applied as indicated in dotted lilies. The.

7 end 11 is then directed downwardly so that it passes around the guide pulley 13, which forthe pur ose is changed 1n position as indicated in otted lines at the bottom.

1 The modification in Figs. 6 and 7 does not differ in principle from the form of the ineg arranged in three ventiori in Fig. 3.

. vertically The frame 1' is disposed instead of. horizontally and the Fig. 7 and pulleys 9 are double as shown in pairs, one above the other.

and bosses for guidingthe movable frames,

the pulley yokes 6 have tubular guides 5 that slide on guide rods 4 While the construction and arrangement of the compensating apparatus is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the claims.

I claim y I 1. A compensating apparatus for well digging machines, comprising a fixed frame, movable frames guided in said frame,.resilient connections respectively between the movable frames and between the movable frames and the fixed frame,' and .a flexible connection reaching from one movable frame to the other and finally to a movable cablereceiving part of the digging machine, to impart resiliency to said cable by virtue of said resilient connections.-

2. In combination with a drill'cable, opposed pulley carrying frames guided in their movements toward and from each other, resilient members applied between and to the ends of said frames, and a flexible connec tion attached to one, frame, Wound from one .pulley frame to the other and finally applied leys of the respective opposed frames, com- I pression springs between the opposed frames, and expansion springs between said frames and adjacent parts of the fixed frame- 4. A compensating apparatus for well digging machines, comprising a fixed frame wit guide means, movable frames with portions applied to said ide means, loosely mounted pulleys carrieds by the movable frames, resilient connections for the movable frames comprising compression springs between the frames and'expansion springs between. the frames and the ends of the fixed frame, and a flexible connection fixed at one' end, then applied to the respective pulle s of themovableframes and finally attac ed at the free end to a movable cablereceiving part of the digging machine.-

5. A compensating apparatus for well digging machines, comprisin a fixed frame consisting of ends, and sides with guide slots; opposed movable frames with portions extending into the slots for guidance and 13d support, a plurality of pulleys loosely journaled 1n each movable frame, normally expanded compression springs between the opposed movable frames, means for guiding and supporting said springs, normally contracted expansion springs attached between the ends of the movable frames and the ends of the fixed frame, and a fiexible'connection fixed at one end to one of the frames, successively applied to the pulleys of each movable frame and arranged to be attached at the free end to a movable cable-receiving part of the digging machine.

OLIVER E. OAKES. 

